


Turn Tail and Come

by RoadrunnerGER, User24601



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Anal Sex, Bondage, Butt Plugs, Conditioning, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Explicit Sexual Content, Friendship, Gags, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Muzzles, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Oral Sex, Physical Abuse, Police Procedural, Puppy Play, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence, Suspense, Violence, no actual dog on human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2019-11-24 22:02:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoadrunnerGER/pseuds/RoadrunnerGER, https://archiveofourown.org/users/User24601/pseuds/User24601
Summary: Set in Season 17, this alternate timeline follows the SVU detectives as they grapple with an unusual case. Unfortunately for one of our detectives, he gets way more involved than he would prefer. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad ensues in a race against time to try and find their colleague before his fate is sealed by sale ...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Feral_Fic_Writer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feral_Fic_Writer/gifts).



It was stupid, really, the game they were playing. Honestly, they should’ve been working but, given the stressful and serious nature of their job, occasionally they liked to blow off a bit of steam throughout the day. And apparently, trying to move around the personal items of the other person without them realizing it was the sort of juvenile shenanigan they had ended up indulging in today.  

“Rollins, Carisi,” lieutenant Benson called as she approached her detectives' conjoined desks.

Startled, Sonny pulled the hand he had extended across the desk back too quickly and he managed to not only knock over the picture of Amanda’s daughter he was trying to move but also the lamp on his desk.

Glancing at him, Rollins sent him the _haha you’ve been caught_ look before she then turned to their commanding officer and asked, “Hey, Lieutenant, what’s up?”

“I need you two to go run out on a call with ACIS and follow up a possible case they came across.”

“Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad? What does the pet police have to do with sex crimes?” Carisi wondered aloud.

“That wasn’t exactly clear,” Benson shrugged. “I don't think they know what they've got on their hands. That's why you two are going to meet them at the crime scene.”

“Alright, Lieutenant,” Rollins agreed. “Will we just be heading over or are we supposed to report to someone once we get there?”

“One Sergeant Tobin Roebuck. He's expecting you.”

Pausing for a moment, the Lieutenant looked at them expectantly.

“What are you waiting for?”

“An address,” Rollins remarked dryly, rolling her eyes.

“Oh,” Benson muttered as she glanced down at the phone in her hand and pulled up the address before forwarding it to both of the detectives. A second later, both of their phones pinged and she shooed them out and turned back to her office.

“This has to be one for the books, animal and sex crimes?” Carisi commented as he pulled the jacket off the back of his chair before they took the elevator downstairs. “Any scenario that comes to mind makes me sick.”

Speculating, Rollins replied, “Could just be someone called about a dog chained up all day and they went to investigate and found evidence of child porn.”

“God, I hope not. I hate that stuff.”

“Well, who in his right mind doesn't?” Rollins scoffed.

“Unfortunately, plenty,” Carisi sighed.

Rollins could relate to the sentiment. There had been no shortage of those sorts of cases in her five years on the squad. And unlike their other cases, ones with children always were the hardest to take. They stayed with you, keeping you awake at night.

Consequently, their ride to the crime scene passed in relative silence as both detectives’ minds were fixed on steadying themselves against whatever they were about to face.

Upon their arrival at the scene, Carisi parked up their unmarked car behind the ACIS’s mobile command vehicle. It wasn’t hard to locate the building since there were more than a few officers on the property.

As they approached the warehouse, a uniformed officer directed them inside towards Sgt. Roebuck. Turning a corner into the main room, they were confronted by a large circular pen of sorts, made up of sections of heavy-duty half-height chain linked fence. The concrete beneath it stained was with smears of blood, dirt, and hair. Not surprisingly, the crime scene techs were already present at the scene. A few technicians and working on taking pictures and categorizing the evidence within the confines of the arena.

“What is this place?” Carisi asked.

“Dog fighting ring,” answered a man of Asian heritage in a sergeant's uniform. “Or at least what is left of one. And trust me, you don't want to see the pile of dead dogs in the back.” Noting the confusion and horror on the detective's features, the sergeant elaborated, “I’m referring to those dogs that lost the fights.”

“Ah, I see,” Carisi remarked, checking the name tag on the man’s chest before introducing himself to the sergeant. “You must be Sergeant Roebuck. I’m Detective Carisi. This is my partner Detective Rollins. I believe you spoke with our lieutenant on the phone?”

“Yes,” the man replied, “of course. Thank you for coming.”

“Not to be rude, sergeant,” Rollins threw in, “but we didn’t come down here because of a dog fighting ring, did we? That’s clearly in your jurisdiction. What do you have for us?”

“Follow me,” Roebuck directed as he walked over towards a small alcove off of the main room. “I’ll show you to the kennels. They’re empty now but earlier they held a variety of dogs used for fighting. Mostly pit bulls, dobermans, and the like. You know the breeds people associate with being aggressive.”

“My dog Frannie is a pit bull mix,” Amanda noted as they walked down between the aisle of heavy-duty plastic crates, one stacked on top of the other. “And there’s not an aggressive bone in her body.”

“No,” Roebuck replied, “I don’t believe there is. In my experience, most dogs are kind, loving creatures but in the wrong hands, that nature can be twisted. Often times, when dogs are aggressive, the problem is found at the other end of the leash.”

As they approached the last few over-sized kennels against the far wall, they noted a lab tech had already been in the area and collected samples and photos, evident by the smudges of powder used for dusting for fingerprints and the yellow placards used for reference.

“As you can see,” Roebuck said, pulling on a pair of blue plastic gloves and directing their gazes at the closures of a few of the kennels, “these ones aren’t like the rest. They’ve been retrofitted with padlocks so the closing mechanism can’t be opened without a key. And inside...”

Opening the barred door of one, he pulled out a specialized black light from his pocket and shined it inside. The luminosity of bodily fluids reacted under the light, glowing against the hard plastic of the dark interior.

“Is that-- ?” Carisi asked.

“I believe so,” the sergeant answered. “I’ve already sent samples down for testing. Still, I wanted to get you guys involved as soon as I could. If my suspicions are correct...”

“Was there any other evidence?” Rollins prodded.

“Besides what appears to be human fluids, there was hair found in a few of the kennels. Too long and fine to be from a dog.”

Both sensed trepidation rise.

“Could it possibly have been from someone simply working with the dogs?” Carisi inquired.

“No,” Roebuck shook his head. “At least I seriously doubt it. I’ve come to the unfortunate conclusion that it’s not just dogs that have been kept in these kennels but people as well.”

As the sergeant's statement was rather ominous, everyone present took a moment of silence as what the man had said really registered.

“And if that’s semen in there, you think that someone had... sex in the cage?” Carisi speculated, unsure of how that would work but clearly disgusted nonetheless.

“The crates are way too small for that,” Amanda stated disconcertedly. “Probably just dripped out.”

_Dripped out_ , Carisi mouthed tonelessly.

“I see you’re not afraid to spell it out,” the sergeant grumbled before continuing. “We have found three other kennels, all at the end here, that have been modified like this one. We haven’t had a chance to thoroughly examine the rest yet but the kennels I mentioned are the only ones that appear to have human fluids and hair inside. Though, I should mention there is one that has traces of ejaculate on the outside.”

“Could be just a contact transference?” Carisi speculated.

“Wishful thinking,” Rollins snarked, secretly wondering how her partner could still maintain such naivety. “Or perhaps a victim was bent over one of the kennels while she was assaulted.”

Studying the detectives’ wary and thoughtful features, Roebuck went on, “For months, we've investigated this dogfighting ring. Those dogs are trafficked. Is it so far fetched to think that those thugs also are trafficking girls?”

“No,” Rollins sighed. “Wish I could say we are surprised.”

“But that's your guys’ cup of tea, isn't it?”

Carisi would not describe it in those terms but understood the sentiment the man was trying to convey.

“It's what we expect in our line of work and you were right to call us in. But we will still need to get those results back from the lab before we can pursue this any further. Why don't you finish up here and swing by our squad once those results come in?”

“Will do,” Roebuck agreed. “I appreciate you guys coming down here. These sorts of things aren’t in my wheelhouse and I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. If we're looking at human trafficking, this case needs to be moved to your division. Of course, I’ll provide you with whatever information we've already collected.”

“Do you have any suspects?” Rollins wanted to know.

“We suspect a connection to Eastern Europe,” Roebuck relayed. “And we managed to follow a money trail there.”

“But who's behind it here?” Carisi asked.

“If only we knew,” Roebuck snorted. “Hopefully, combining our intel with your department’s experience, we’ll be able to shed light on the matter.”

“We'll see about that when we get to it,” Rollins declared. “Thank you, Sergeant.”

“Just doing my job,” Sgt. Roebuck honestly replied. “I'll be in touch.”

On their way back out, both detectives could not help but eye the kennels they passed with trepidation. The implications of the evidence were disturbing.

“I hate the idea of anyone being locked in a kennel like that,” Carisi stated apprehensively.

“Yeah,” Rollins replied. “Taking into account the preliminary findings, though, that's what we're looking at.”

Until they had the final results, everything was just speculation, but both detectives knew that the probability of having discovered one more trafficking ring was more than likely. So far, there were no known victims. However, as soon as the laboratory could extract the DNA, they would be able to compare those samples with evidence collected from current missing-person cases. Once concrete identifications were made, the shit would really hit the fan.

For the time being, all they could do was wait for the lab techs to do their work and return to the precinct to work on other cases.

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the results from Forensics arrive, the case becomes SVU's top priority.

Two days later, Chief Dodds showed up at the Special Victims Unit with Sergeant Roebuck in tow. The pair vanished into Lieutenant Benson’s office and closed the door behind them.

Carisi exchanged a glance with Rollins as both of the detectives wondered as to the reason for their exclusion. Surely, Roebuck’s presence indicated that the fluids had returned from the lab and had indeed been human. And if it was human, that made it a sex crime. Consequently, transferring the case to SVU should not be too complicated.

The real question was what necessitated the presence of the Deputy Chief and the need for privacy? Surely, as the detectives that had caught the case, Rollins and Carisi should have been included in on the conversation.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba entered the bullpen.

Involuntarily, Detective Carisi felt his gaze pulled towards their prosecutor, his eyes following the man as Barba made his way across the room and he too entered Benson’s office and closed the door.

“Sonny,” Rollins muttered, throwing a paperclip at him to get his attention.

“Huh?”

“What are you? A fangirl? Stop fawning over him,” Rollins teased. “Just ask him already.”

Sighing, Carisi pulled his eyes away from the now closed door and tried to ignore his partner’s remarks by returning his attention to the report he was writing. Nevertheless, he could practically feel the heat on his cheeks and at the tips of his ears as blood rushed to them in embarrassment.

Amanda knew him too well and he did not appreciate being caught.

The truth of the matter was that his law school course work through Fordham University was almost complete. And yet, he still had to fulfill the required volunteer internship hours in his chosen career field. As he already had a working relationship with the counselor, asking ADA Barba if he could shadow him on the job should have been a no-brainer.

However, the issue was that he could not ‘just ask’ Barba as his partner had suggested. While he admired the man for his dedication and prowess at court, he still found himself feeling awkward and off-balanced when they worked directly together on cases. As much as he would like to be able to just sit down and pester the attorney with questions or discuss cases, instead all he had managed so far was to blurt out legal facts at Barba in passing. Consequently, he felt his stomach clench and his mouth go dry every time he even thought about asking the attorney to grant him this personal favor.

Lost in his reverie, Carisi did not notice that Rollins had gotten up and walked over to his side until he felt a firm nudge on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that the Lieutenant's door had been opened and the occupants were drifting out and congregated around until Benson came out. Waving her detectives over, she led everyone to the media room where she stepped up to the whiteboard and taped up two pictures.

Writing the information under the young women’s photos as she spoke, Benson detailed the specifics of the case. She uncapped a marker and began, “Denise Hopkins, seventeen, and Alison Richards, eighteen. Both young, Caucasian females were reported missing within the last six months. Alison comes from a wealthy family on the lower east side. Unlike some of the types of cases we’ve had involving her peer group, there isn’t any indication that she has had issues with drug use. Denise, on the other hand, isn’t from the city but from Connecticut where she went missing after a SAT prep-class last April.”

“Connecticut?” Carisi interjected, “Then wouldn’t that make this a Federal case?”

“It would,” Chief Dodds agreed. “But for now, they want us to work the case until we have concrete proof that these traffickers are running girls across state lines.”

“What about the third kennel we saw?” Rollins added. “There was trace evidence in there as well.”

“The sample in that one came back human as well,” Roebuck replied. “However, CSU wasn’t able to get any hits in CODIS on it.”

“For the time being,” Barba spoke up for the first time. “You guys will need to keep me in the loop. Alison’s parents have already been in contact with the Mayor when this was simply a missing person’s case. Now that it’s been moved to SVU, he’s relying on my department to coordinate the exchange of information between the different units of law enforcement and the district attorney’s office.”

Chief Dodds nodded grimly. “Catching these perps is our number one priority and we need to catch them quick,” he stated. “Since Sergeant Roebuck here has already amassed information on the criminal enterprise due to their propensity for also trafficking dogs and organizing dog fights. He has graciously offered to join the team for the time being.”

“We are going to need as many boots on the ground as we can get,” Benson declared and called out, “Fin!”

Carisi turned to see that the older detective had also joined the group and looked at their Lieutenant intently.

“Fin,” Benson ordered, “I’m sending you and Rollins out to Connecticut. Re-interview the Hopkins and Denise’s friends. And talk to the local law enforcement, see if they know of anyone setting up dog fights in the area.

“Mike,” she continued, speaking to the unit’s sergeant who also happened to be the deputy chief’s son, “you and I are going to speak with the Richards. Hopefully, meeting with higher ranking officers will get them off the Mayor’s back.

“And Carisi, I’m pairing you and Roebuck together. I want you two going over the property. See who owns it. Find out why it was vacant, who knew about it and was able to take advantage of that fact.”

Automatically, both men looked around at each other. While the gathering dissolved, Roebuck crossed over to Carisi.

“So, Detective,” the sergeant stated, “looks like I’m stuck with you for the time being. You’re the junior partner, correct?”

Inwardly, Carisi bristled as he hated being referred to as junior anything. Fighting off the urge to combat his superior’s remark, he knew that being disrespectful of rank was not the way to start their assignment.

Luckily, Rollins stepped in and remarked in a teasing tone, “No worries, Sergeant. I’ve got this one well-trained. He’s housebroken and everything.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Roebuck’s mouth as he suppressed a laugh and shook his head, “That’s a terrible joke.”

“Then be glad you’re not paired with me,” she returned. “But you don’t need to worry about Carisi here, he’s one of the good ones. Just promise you’ll bring him back to me in one piece. I’d really hate to have to break in someone new.”

“Hey,” Carisi shot back, “what’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means _take care_ ,” she teased, patting him on the back before snatching her jacket up from her chair and following Fin out.

Rolling his eyes at her retreating back, Carisi crossed over to his own desk. A smirk still plastered on his face, Roebuck trailed behind.

“To clarify,” Roebuck stated, “I just wanted to make sure I understand the dynamics of your position. By default, I’m in charge but I wanted you to know that I am not opposed to you making your voice heard.”

“Uh,” Carisi absent-mindedly replied, furtively watching Barba while pretending to look at a file, “thanks.”

“ _Just go ask him_ ,” he told himself. “ _What’s the worst case scenario? He could say ‘no’ but I doubt it would affect our professional relationship. Except, you know, making me feel like I’d like to crawl underneath a rock every time I saw him. I’d probably put in for a transfer so I wouldn’t have to see him ever again. Hell, if I manage to shadow someone else and pass the bar, I might quit the force altogether._ ”

Roebuck must’ve caught the look though because he turned in the direction of the detective’s gaze. Luckily, Benson had just approached the pair and it was an easy assumption to make that Carisi had been looking at her and not the squad’s prosecutor.

“Sgt. Roebuck,” Benson just said, shrugging into her light trench coat, “I appreciate you staying with our department during this investigation. I’m sure Detective Carisi will make you feel welcome and assist you in any way that you need.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

During this exchange, Carisi found himself distracted once again as he watched Chief Dodds and Barba make their way out into the hallway.

“Carisi,” Benson addressed the detective in a serious tone which instantly garnered his attention, “if you still intend on getting time off to fulfill those internship hours, then you better ask him.” She emphasized her words with a cock of her head in the direction of the hallway, “Preferably before he reaches the elevator.”

The time for stalling was over. Bashfully, Carisi grimaced as he mumbled an excuse in Roebuck’s direction before he hurried out into the hallway. Rounding the corner, he found Barba speaking softly with Chief Dodds as the two men waited for the elevator.

“ _Great_ ,” he inwardly groaned. “ _It’s going to be awkward enough as it is to ask him without the Chief standing right here_.”

Still, it was better to ask now before the audience size increased as the detective knew his lieutenant and sergeant would be shortly leaving as well.

“Counselor,” Carisi called, the high-pitch of his voice giving away his anxiety, “may I have a moment of your time?”

Pausing mid-conversation with Dodds, Barba gave the man a knowing look before taking a few steps to the far end of the hallway and motioning for Carisi to join him.

“What can I do for you, Detective?”

“Well, I… um…” Carisi stammered, his fight or flight instinct kicking in as he felt like he wanted to do nothing more than to turn tail and run.

Barba looked at him expectantly and cocked an eyebrow.

“I’ve… um… been taking courses at Fordham… and… I was… um… wondering…”

“Carisi, if you can’t manage to string a whole sentence together, then you can hardly expect me to stand around all day waiting for you to vocalize a cognitive statement.”

“Sorry, I—“

“Don’t apologize. Just tell me what you wanted to say.”

“Can I… er… May I shadow you for a while?”

Seconds ticked by at a snail’s pace and yet the counselor did not respond. As such, Sonny felt the need to clarify.

“I mean, at work,” he rambled, “to fulfill a requirement for my final coursework before I take the bar.”

Silence. Carisi had a feeling Barba was testing him somehow. Eventually, the attorney spoke.

“I’ll consider it.”

A mixture of hope and apprehension colored the detective’s face and before he could open his mouth to express a single sentiment, Barba walked away to rejoin Dodds at the elevator doors. Benson and Dodd’s son had also made their way into the hallway at this point and were also with the chief.

Rubbing his neck, Carisi felt he had no other choice but return to the bullpen so that he and Roebuck could confer before leaving on their assignment.

As he passed the group by the elevator, Barba was prompted to say, “Tell you what: I’ll have an answer for you in a few days. We can meet at Forlini’s if you’d like. Talk over it a bit more.”

“Oh!” Inwardly Carisi was rejoicing. “Thank you, Counselor.”

“Carisi,” Benson snipped, “I think you better get back to Sergeant Roebuck. Keep to the task at hand, if you will.”

“Of course, Lieutenant,” Carisi beamed as he ducked out of the hallway.

xXx

  


“Did you really have to elbow me so hard?” Barba asked once Carisi had gone.

“Give me a break, Rafa,” Benson quipped. “Sonny has been tying himself up in knots trying to get up the nerve to ask you. The least you could do was to give him more than a five syllable answer.”

“I’m still not sure whether or not I’ll agree to it. I’ve plenty on my hands without worrying about Carisi getting underfoot.”

Benson groaned, “If you don’t agree, think about what you’ll be subjecting me to. He’ll be moping around for ages if you say no.”

“Honestly,” Sergeant Dodds added, “Carisi respects you. More than that, I think. Something akin to hero worship, maybe.”

“More like he just wants to follow me around like a lost puppy.”

Snorting, Chief Dodds turned away from the group with a shake of his head as the elevator arrived. Clearly, he was glad he no longer had to be directly in charge of errant junior detectives. Exchanging a glance with his son, Mike merely shrugged, not apologetically, more indifferently.

Sighing, Benson concluded, “He’s a good detective and with a little assistance from you, he’d make a good lawyer. It’s just for a few weeks. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

“Already do,” Barba groused just to have the final say in the matter.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paired with the ACIS sergeant, Detective Carisi does his best to follow orders and track down leads.

Riding down the elevator with Roebuck, Carisi was doing his best to shift his focus from his appointment with Barba later in the week to the investigation work he was assigned to do with the visiting sergeant. The pair of them were on their way to the real estate firm that managed the property where the dog fight had taken place.

“So… um... “ Carisi asked hesitantly, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, “this real estate company, have you had dealings with them before?”

“Not this particular one,” Roebuck replied, looking down at the printout in his hand. “But this isn’t the first time we’ve encountered persons who use abandoned properties for holding and transferring animals. Usually, the actual owners have no idea what is happening on their property before we inform them or they find out on their own and contact us.”

“It’s not the first time we’re encountering that sort of situation on our end of things either,” Carisi agreed. “Seems sort of pointless to even bother talking to them.”

“It’s still a lead, detective,” the sergeant said with the sternest of tones. “And any lead, we follow.”

“Of course,” Carisi blurted, “I was just--”

Roebuck cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Unless you have something productive to say, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself.”

“ _Crap,”_ Sonny silently rebuked himself. “ _Way to not start off on the right foot, idiot.”_

Neither man spoke another word until they got out to the motor pool and Roebuck announced, “I’m driving.”

“ _Of course you are.”_

“Sure thing, Sergeant,” Carisi replied tossing the keys to Roebuck.

It was nearly a thirty-minute drive to the Turner Real Estate Firm and Carisi felt unable to keep quiet. It seemed he had a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease that day.

“Roebuck, that’s an interesting last name,” Carisi said, trying to strike up some small talk. “You know, for a while, I got really into genealogy. My own family name is the Italian version of the Greek word for grace and kindness. Do you know what yours means? If I had to guess it has something to do with deer.”

Glaring out of the corner of his eye, the sergeant, who was very obviously of Asian descent, replied, “I’m adopted.”

“Oh!” Carisi exclaimed as he inwardly kicked himself. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t meaning to pry.”

With a heavy sigh, Roebuck remarked, “If you are so desperate to talk, detective, why don’t you give me the rundown on why you think our perpetrators would bring the girls to a dog fight? I get that trafficking animals and people isn’t that different but why wouldn’t they keep the two enterprises separate?”  

Quirking a brow at the sergeant, Carisi thought about his answer and finally settled on, “Sergeant, which division did you work before ACIS?”

“I worked a K9 patrol unit. Why do you ask?”

“Just… uh… my experience at SVU,” Carisi shrugged, suddenly remembering his first months after being transferred to the unit. He had thought he was prepared for whatever might come his way. That assumption was clearly misguided. And even now, he found that cases still pushed his limits. “I mean, at the dog fights, I’m sure emotions run high. Adrenaline mixed with testosterone is going to boil over unless there is an outlet of some kind.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Roebuck accepted the answer. Before he could ask any other questions, Carisi’s cell phone chimed.

Checking on his messages, Carisi quickly informed the sergeant of the update he had gotten from the lab.

“CSU got another match. Fingerprints lifted from the inside panel of the back door.”

“Who do they belong to?”

“Let’s see,” Carisi replied, scrolling down. “Jason Hanson but goes by Jay. There’s a number of arrests listed but he’s actually never had charges filed against him.”

“What was he arrested for?”

“Twice for drug possession and…” Carisi paused as he counted each instance silently to himself, “five DUI instances.”

“Five!” Roebuck all but whistled through his teeth. “If he’s gotten off the hook for driving drunk that many times, he must have one or two connections within the department. We might need to watch our steps here.”

“Yeah, you’re not wrong but we should at least pay him a visit. Should I text my lieutenant and let her know we’ll be going over there later today?”

Roebuck nodded. As he pulled the car around the corner and parked in front of the office building that held the Turner offices, Carisi was still texting with Benson. Getting out of the car before the detective, Roebuck waited for him impatiently out on the sidewalk.

The feeling that the sergeant was exasperated with him lingered as they made their way up to the 17th floor. For this reason, Carisi hung back and allowed Roebuck to take the lead.

“Hi, excuse me,” Roebuck said as he approached the reception desk and pulled out his badge. “I’m NYPD Sergeant Roebuck and this is my colleague Detective Carisi. We’re investigating a crime that occurred on the premise of one of your holdings. We’ll be needing to speak with whoever is in charge of managing that property.”

“Of course,” the receptionist replied as he stood up from behind the desk. “Why don’t I show you to Ms. Turner’s office?”

The young man escorted the men to a large corner office before knocking at the door and peeking his head inside.

“Ms. Turner, there are two men from the NYPD here. They’d like to speak with you about one of the properties.”

“Thank you, Josh,” a woman’s voice answered. “Please show them in.”

Coming inside the large corner office, the pair were greeted by a woman in her late 50s. Her hair was short and the dye job excellent but that didn’t preclude her from looking entirely professional.

Stepping out from behind her desk, Turner shook each of their hands as they made introductions. Gesturing for them to each take a seat, she then tucked the hem of her fitted dress beneath her as she sat down opposite them.

“What can I do for you?”

“We are here because one of the properties your firm manages has been used for illegal activity,” Roebuck stated. “Would you be able to give us the names of who owns the property, who manages it, and who would have access?”

“What kind of illegal activity?”

Clearing his throat, Roebuck answered, “Dogfighting and … erm… sex trafficking.”

Ms. Turner’s face paled at the sergeant’s statement but she didn’t allow herself to be stunned by the news.

“What’s the address of the location?” Turner asked.

“Here,” Carisi replied, pulling out his card and writing the address on it before handing it over to the woman.

“Ah,” she replied as she took it from him and typed the information into her computer. “You know, I wish I could say that we haven’t had issues like this in the past. However, given the nature of the city, if a building stands unused for too long, it attracts the wrong sort of attention.

“We require all the unoccupied properties we manage to be secured and we recommend installing security cameras and alarms but many of our clients don’t want to spend the extra money. I do tell them that having to evict squatters, clean up after drug-users, and dealing with the police if a body is found is much more of a hassle than installing a few cameras. But what do I know, right?”

“More than you’re given credit for, I bet,” Roebuck remarked. “And you’re right. The only security measures we found on scene were a couple of padlocks that had been cut.”

Huffing in agreement, Turner turned the screen of her computer around to show the men what she had pulled up.

“That location is an empty warehouse owned by a Chinese manufacturing company. We’ve been managing the property for about a year now as they transition distributors. One of our account representatives, Ryan McAllan manages that particular location. But as far as who would have access to it, well, most of the staff and, as you have astutely surmised, anyone with a set of bolt cutters.”

“Can we speak with Mr. McAllan?” Roebuck inquired.

“Right this way,” Turner replied as she got out from behind her desk and led them out into the hall.

Not too far down the hallway, they passed a conference room and glancing at the occupants, Turner came to a halt. Pulling the door open, she motioned to a short man with short-cropped hair in a gray suit to come join them in the hallway.

“Ryan,” Ms. Turner said as she handed the man Carisi’s card with the address written on it, “these men here are from the NYPD and are investigating a crime committed on one of the properties you manage.”

“Oh? Which one?” McAllan inquired as he took the card from his boss. Reading the address he shook his head and said, “These Chinese accounts are the worst.”

Looking back up to the cops, Ryan must’ve noted Roebuck’s heritage because he quickly added, “No offense but in my experience, they want to pay the least amount of money and yet still want the highest level of service.”

“I think that’s referred to as capitalism,” Carisi shot back.

The sergeant didn’t seem to appreciate the smart aleck remark because he glared at him and firmly said, “Detective, Mr. McAllan here is being kind enough to volunteer valuable information. There’s no need to be rude. I’m going to need you to go stand over there for a bit and check in with the lieutenant while I finish up here. Understood?”

Not wanting to defy orders in front of civilians, Carisi did as he was told.

“Sorry about that,” Roebuck stated before continuing his interview with Turner and McAllan.

Grumpy that he had been put in timeout like an unruly school child, Carisi pulled out his phone and shot a glare at the sergeant’s back. While he was doing that, he noticed one of the older men, with graying hair and a well-trimmed beard, in the conference room was studying him rather intently. As McAllen hadn’t closed the door upon exiting, the detective surmised the man had heard everything. His cheeks burning red with embarrassment, Carisi turned his back and finished sending a text to Benson.

By the time Roebuck had concluded the interview and they had made their way back out to the car, Carisi’s mood had not improved.

Starting the car, the sergeant said, “And here your partner told me you were housebroken. I can’t believe you got smart with someone only trying to help us. You do realize they didn’t have to give us the information that they did. If they wanted to, they could’ve forced us to get a court order. Is that what you were trying to do, draw out this investigation and risk the lives of those girls we are trying to save?”

“No,” Carisi replied sheepishly.

“Then do as you’re told and don’t step out of line again. Your partner might have the patience for it but I certainly do not. Just be glad Turner and McAllan were still forthcoming after your little blunder.”

“It’s not like it mattered,” Carisi grumbled. “You said the money traced back to Eastern Europe, not China. I very much doubt that company had anything to do with the illegal activity taking place on its property.”

“You’re probably right. But it doesn’t necessitate that someone in the real estate firm or associated with the firm isn’t connected. We still have a lot of work to do. Speaking of which, what is the address for Jay Hanson? We need to go there next.”

Pulling the information up on his phone, Carisi read off the street address. A very quiet twenty-minute car ride later, they arrived at Hanson’s apartment. Knocking at the door, Carisi and Roebuck waited and waited but there was no answer. A quick canvas of the neighbors on his floor didn’t yield any result either.

Sullen and without another lead to follow, Carisi followed Roebuck back out to the car.

Roebuck made it clear he was still in charge as he told Carisi their next steps.

“Turner said she’d email a list of all the employees that have access to the vacant warehouse. We’re heading back to SVU where the two of us will go through the entire list and see if anyone has a record or has a connection to someone involved in sex crimes or animal abuse. Could be someone was there just to bet on the dogs and saw more than what they bargained for.”

“Could be,” Carisi mumbled in agreement.

He wasn’t keen on the idea of going through the tedious process of running a background check on all of the employees and their known associates. A task like that would take days. Goodness knows that by the time they were done, he would be looking forward to meeting with Barba at Forlini’s. Even if the counselor's final answer was no, it would be better than his time spent with the ACIS sergeant.

  


**Author's Note:**

> If you've gotten to the end of this chapter, you may have an inkling of where this story is headed. We just wanted to make sure our readers know that we do our best to properly tag everything and we promise not to surprise you with anything... unnatural...
> 
> Special acknowledgement to our friend Feral who practically begged us to write this. 
> 
> And lastly, thank you for coming to this story. Comments and Kudos are not required but always appreciated.


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